Recommend loose bearings and supplier for threaded headset

[Blue Hills]

Hi chaps

Have decided to bite the bullet (or bearing) and fit loose bearings instead of caged bearings in the threaded headsets on two of my old bikes.

As I understand it even though you are losing the cage, you fit loose bearings of the same size (I have a Lidl/Aldi micrometer) as the ones in the cage and fit more balls to compensate for the loss of the cage.

How many more?

Is it true that you fill the race leaving space for one ball?

I am pretty sure that the bearings in one bike are 5/32 and the other, being from the same stable is probably the same. But I will check.

Now to sourcing the bearings.

I have been led to believe in the past that common or garden bike shop bearings from the likes of Weldtite are likely to be poor quality.

True?

If so, without getting into tiny tiny imperceptible degrees of quality improvement, can any of you good folks recommend any particular bearings from a UK supplier?

I stress that I am just after simple dependable good quality I am not after bearings delivering quality improvements that can only be detected by advanced lab equipment.

Nor do I want to buy vast quantities - am probably moving house soon and any "lifetime supply" would probably get lost. Also. after I complete the fiddly job of getting these bearings in I am hoping not to have to take the headsets apart again for a mighty long time.

 

[raleighnut]

The Weldtite ones are fine (well I've never had problems with em) just stick em to the bottom race with plenty of grease, insert the fork and rest the end on the floor to stop em dropping out when you fit the top ones and get the top race on and you're correct fill the track up and take 1 out'
They aren't expensive though.

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[Tim Hall]

I'd wander down to the nearest bearing supplier on an industrial estate near you with a couple of samples and buy two dozen in a poly bag.

I'd agree with the enough balls to fill the track less one approach.

I too have used Weldtite bearings in the past without too much problem though.

 

[mjr]

I don't think there's much difference between most bearings you can get as long as they're similar grade (25 I think). I've used Weldtite without problem too and I usually used caged ones in headsets due to laziness, larger number of balls used, lower loads and my bad habit of knocking them about when refitting the fork.